1. Let’s start with your childhood and education, how did those experiences influence your decision to join Monno Ceramic and take on a leadership role?

Monno Ceramic, founded by my grandfather in 1984, is now in its third generation, with me as a part of its legacy. Born in 1985, I grew up immersed in the business, as both my parents were actively involved. As the eldest child, I was often at the factory from a young age, groomed by my grandfather to eventually take the reins.

After completing school in Bangladesh, we moved to London, where I finished my college and university education. Despite the distance, I always knew Monno Ceramic was my future and remained connected to the business.

Export marketing has been particularly challenging, especially with China as our main competitor due to their lower production costs. However, I’ve always drawn inspiration from my father’s ability to promote our products and successfully convince customers to choose Monno, even in a competitive market.

2. Walk us through some of the key milestones in Monno Ceramic’s journey as one of the oldest companies in Bangladesh, how has the company evolved and grown over the years?

After the birth of Bangladesh, Monno Ceramic became the first company to export tableware internationally. From the very beginning, my grandfather envisioned Monno as an export-oriented business. To achieve this, he formed a joint venture with Japan, which was at the forefront of ceramic technology at the time. Under this partnership, Japan provided the technology and training, while we supplied the land and workforce.

We started production in 1984 and made our first export to the UK in 1986. Exporting was a significant challenge back then, particularly in marketing tableware, a niche and competitive product. When Monno first exported to the UK, British customs suspected that our products might be counterfeit, potentially reexporting products from China or Japan to evade taxes. They raised concerns with the British embassy, but my grandfather boldly invited embassy officials to inspect our production facilities. Upon investigation, they confirmed that everything was being produced locally in Bangladesh, clearing the way for our exports.

Afterward, we began participating in major international exhibitions, including the largest tableware exhibition in Frankfurt, where we have exhibited for 35 consecutive years. We also appointed sales agents in key markets like the UK, France, Italy, Greece, and the U.S., which helped us grow our export reach. The 1990s were a golden period for Monno Ceramic —China had not yet emerged as a global competitor, and we were the most affordable ceramic tableware company for international buyers. Domestically, we were the dominant player in the market, which further fuelled our growth.

Our factory expanded from one production line to four, and in the early 2000s, we were the first in Bangladesh to adopt cutting-edge German dust-pressing technology—a milestone that further solidified our reputation.

In the local market, ceramics were not very popular in the 1980s, and the purchasing power of Bangladeshi consumers was limited. This posed a challenge, but we used television commercials (TVCs) to promote our products. In 1989, we launched the “Studio Collection,” a super white and translucent porcelain line with a Blue Rajanigandha decal. This collection became a huge hit in Bangladesh, catapulting Monno Ceramic into widespread popularity.

Now, after 40 years, despite having many competitors, Monno remains at the top of consumers’ minds when it comes to ceramic tableware.

3. What are some of the major challenges facing the ceramic industry today both locally and globally and how has Monno Ceramic adapted to these challenges?

Since 2008, the biggest challenge we’ve faced in Bangladesh is ensuring an uninterrupted gas supply for our production. Ceramics, unlike other materials, are non-recyclable, and the firing process is highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations. If gas supply is interrupted during firing, the entire batch of ceramics is ruined, leading to significant losses.

Rising energy costs have also hit us hard, with energy now accounting for up to 30% of our production costs. Additionally, the overall economic situation has worsened, with the devaluation of the currency affecting us deeply. Since all our raw materials are imported, the rising dollar rate has further increased our costs.

From a manufacturing perspective, we are actively working to become more energy-efficient and are focusing on sourcing raw materials from nearby regions to reduce freight costs. These efforts are essential for us to continue growing and staying competitive in the face of these challenges.

4. How is Monno Ceramic staying ahead of trends and incorporating innovation into its product offerings considering the fact that the ceramic industry is constantly evolving?

Design plays a crucial role in our business—it’s like creating accessories for the table. Since tableware is a largely female-centric product, keeping our designs fresh and appealing is essential. We actively seek customer feedback to ensure we meet evolving tastes.

In the past, we focused on wholesale, but by 2010, our market position was declining, with Shinepukur Ceramic leading. A market study revealed that there was nothing distinctive about Monno Ceramic compared to competitors, and wholesalers struggled to differentiate our products. Some even sold them at lower prices, diluting our brand value.

We realized that to stand out, we needed to focus on design and quality. This led to a major shift in strategy—we rebranded ourselves for new Millennial generation, opened our own retail stores and heavily focused on social media marketing, e-commerce, and door-to-door delivery. In 2015, we adopted these platforms early, introducing courier services, which was a new concept at the time. Today, we receive orders from across the country on our e-commerce site.

We also began offering proprietary, high-end niche products that are only available online and, in our showrooms, keeping them exclusive from wholesalers. This strategy tapped into the growing design and quality-conscious mindset of Bangladeshi consumers, especially women, who value uniqueness and don’t mind paying more for products they love.

Our competitive advantage lies in our design-centric approach. We continuously update our collections, with designers based in Paris, UK, and India, along with our in-house designer from Sri Lanka, who brings experience from working with top Japanese brands. Our designs are elegant and sophisticated, creating aspiration in rural areas where people see our products on social media but can’t find them in wholesale markets. This drives demand, and we plan to expand our own distribution channel to all the major cities in Bangladesh in the coming years.

Maintaining a fixed MRP is key, so we’re working with trusted distributors and retailers to ensure consistency. Ultimately, design and marketing are vital to our business, helping us stand out and grow.

5. How competitive do you believe the Bangladesh ceramic industry is in the international market and what potential opportunities do you see for its growth on a global scale?

Currently, 97% of Bangladesh’s local demand for ceramic tableware is met by domestic manufacturers, leaving limited room for further expansion in the local market. The major players competing in this space are large conglomerates that can afford to subsidize their prices, making it difficult for companies like ours to compete in the mass market. Therefore, we are focusing on niche markets, where we emphasize premium quality and design, allowing us to command higher prices.

However, there is significant potential for growth in the export market. The global ceramic tableware market is valued at $60-70 billion, yet Bangladesh’s exports in tableware are only around $50 million which is remarkably low. One of the key advantages of the ceramics sector, compared to garments, is the high value addition. While garment exports yield only 10-15% value addition due to heavy reliance on imported materials, ceramics offer 64% value addition since the only major imported component is raw materials, with gas, labour, and packaging being sourced locally.

Exporting ceramics could offer substantial benefits for Bangladesh’s economy, but government policies need to improve to support this growth. Currently, export incentives are being reduced, which makes it harder to compete with countries like China. Moreover, Bangladesh has a unique opportunity to capture market share as many companies are looking to reduce reliance on China due to geopolitical factors. However, progress on this front is being held back by the lack of supportive policies.

For the ceramics sector to thrive, the government must ensure subsidized and uninterrupted gas supply, as well as facilitate back-to-back raw material procurement and duty-free facilities for exports. Additionally, workforce skill development is a growing concern. While the number of ceramics companies is increasing, there isn’t a corresponding growth in skilled labour. Unlike the garment sector, which has institutions like BGMEA providing worker training, the ceramics industry lacks such platforms.

To address this, we, as part of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BCMEA), are working to establish dedicated training institutes which will be certified by our government’s National Skill Development Authority (NSDA). These institutes will be affiliated with various ceramic manufacturers like us. Students will be enrolled for apprenticeships after completing their HSC and will be given hands-on practical experience in each step of the ceramic manufacturing process. This training scheme will be funded by International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Bank. Through these initiatives, we aim to strengthen the workforce and drive sustainable growth in the ceramics industry.

6. What is your vision for the future of Monno Ceramic and how do you see the company contributing to the broader economic and industrial landscape of Bangladesh?

My five-year plan focuses on addressing key challenges and positioning Monno for sustainable growth. With rising energy costs, we are re-engineering our entire manufacturing process and diversifying our product categories to minimize gas consumption and reduce our carbon footprint. We are exploring ways to integrate solar and renewable energy and tackling the challenge of recycling used products to be reused as raw materials. The goal is to make Monno a green factory by reusing as much recycled material as possible and offsetting our carbon emissions, aligning with global sustainability trends.

In terms of market expansion, we are looking beyond traditional markets and targeting new, unconventional ones. India presents a huge opportunity, and we’re also focusing on the Middle East, starting with establishing our own distribution company in Dubai. The African and Central Asian market is a very lucrative region which can be approached when we have an establishment in UAE. By entering these regions, I aim to transform Monno from a well-known domestic brand into a global name. While my grandfather built Monno as a domestic leader, my challenge is to take it to the global stage.